Oleksandr Antonenko prepares for his first home match as Obolon's head coach in the Ukrainian Premier League this Sunday. The capital city club will welcome Oleksandriya to the Obolon Arena in Kyiv during the second round of the 2025/26 UPL season.
"We're focused on maintaining our solid defensive record at home while finding solutions to our scoring issues," Antonenko might be telling his squad ahead of this crucial fixture.
The hosts have shown remarkable defensive resilience on their home turf, not conceding a goal for 180 minutes of play. Their unbeaten home run extends to four consecutive matches - two victories and two draws. However, goal-scoring remains a significant concern for Obolon, who managed just 19 goals in 30 matches last season, outscoring only Livyi Bereg.
Their offensive struggles continued in their season opener against Metalist 1925 in Zhytomyr last Monday. Despite creating more scoring opportunities than their opponents, Antonenko's men failed to convert and settled for a goalless draw.
Oleksandriya arrives in Kyiv with their own set of problems. The visitors are reeling from a comprehensive European exit, suffering a 0:6 aggregate defeat to Partizan in the Conference League's second qualifying round. Their domestic form hasn't been much better.
Interestingly, Kyryl Nesterenko's team already played at Obolon Arena last week, losing 1:3 to tournament newcomers Kudrivka. To make matters worse, the defeat came with additional costs - key players Kyrylo Kovalets and Miguel Campos received red cards and will miss Sunday's match.
Despite these setbacks, bookmakers still favor Oleksandriya with odds of 2.33 compared to 3.45 for an Obolon victory. The draw is priced at 3.10.
Keep an eye on Dmytro Myshnyov from Oleksandriya, who could score his 15th UPL goal, while Obolon's Denys Ustymenko is hunting for his 10th in the competition.
Can Antonenko's defensive approach earn him a memorable first home win, or will Oleksandriya bounce back from their recent disappointments? We'll find out when the referee Oleksandr Kalyonov blows his whistle at 13:00 this Sunday.
